RT Journal A1 Root B T1 SPinal anesthesia with the patient supine JF JAMA JO JAMA YR 1969 FD May 19 VO 208 IS 7 SP 1192 OP 1192 DO 10.1001/jama.1969.03160070070028 UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.1969.03160070070028 AB To the Editor:—  In the article on "Spinal Anesthesia for Hip Pinning Given With the Patient Supine" by Alon P. Winnie, MD (207:1663, 1969), I am impressed by the ingenuity of the technique of administering a spinal anesthesia from under the operating room table through the opening in the fracture table and am willing to accept that the incidence of hypotension due to spinal anesthesia is reduced by avoiding moving the patient after administration of the anesthesia. However, I strongly disagree with the statement that "this simple change in technique has been shown to reduce... the mortality by more than one half."The author has not demonstrated, to my satisfaction, either that hypotension after spinal anesthesia is likely to be related to the subsequent mortality in hip surgery for the elderly patient, or that, as he states, "The two groups of patients studied were similar in every respect" except